Nature Emergency declared in West Lothian
West Lothian Council has declared a Nature Emergency to recognise the current state of nature and our dependence on the natural world.
A motion was unanimously agreed by a meeting of the full West Lothian Council recently, to add the declaration alongside the council's Climate Emergency declaration of 2019 in support of our environment.
The council's Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (PDSP) will add the declaration into their work going forward, stressing the urgent need to act in favour of nature recovery and restoration.
The council established a dedicated Ecology and Biodiversity Team in 2021 to work with council colleagues and external partners to halt biodiversity loss, protect wildlife, ensure space for nature and enrich biodiversity.
Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: "I am delighted that all elected members on West Lothian Council have supported the declaration of a Nature Emergency.
"We all live in an ecosystem which has been hugely depleted by climate change and there is a large body of evidence highlighting an alarming degree of biodiversity loss throughout the world.
"Nature has an intrinsic value to humans, and plays an integral role in our culture and society, our health, wellbeing, and economy.
"We all have a role to play in protecting nature and here in West Lothian we must continue to show our commitment to aiding in the recovery and restoration of the natural environment to help realise our climate targets."
